Caprese Pasta Salad
Easy to make, juicy, Caprese salad that's loaded with tomatoes, baby mozzarella, and full of flavor.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad Dressing:
- ¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ½ Tsp Fine Sea Salt
- ½ Tsp Freshly Crushed Black Pepper finely ground
- 1 Large Garlic Clove minced
For the Pasta Salad:
- 1 lb Short Whole Wheat Pasta like penne or farfalle
- 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
- ½ Cup Thinly Sliced Red Onion
- 12 oz Container Brined Mozzarella Balls
- 2 oz Fresh Basil thinly sliced
Instructions
- Start by preparing the vinaigrette, in a mixing bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, and garlic.
- Season with some salt and pepper. Now add oil; using a fork or a whisk stir the liquid vigorously for a few seconds until the vinaigrette comes together.
- Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the package directions. Cut the tomatoes in half and thinly slice the basil and onion.
- Once the pasta is done, drain well in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Add the pasta and chopped veggies to a large serving bowl. Pour the vinaigrette dressing and add mozzarella balls.
- Using a wooden spoon mix well until pasta and veggies are fully coated into the super delicious dressing!
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving or you may serve immediately.
Notes
- Pasta: Use any Pasta you have handy, wheat, white, lentil, or gluten-free.
- Oil: It is best to use olive oil, but you may sub with avocado oil if you don't have olive oil.
- Tomatoes: Use Cherry tomatoes if possible, because they tend to be sweet and crispy. Of course, you may chop up any other tomatoes you have but try to stick to grapevine tomatoes
- Basil: Fresh would be ideal for the flavor of a Caprese salad, but if you don't have any you may use dried basil leaves.
- Vinegar: Balsamic is a must, whether you use regular, aged, or glazed.
- Cheese: We really recommend mozzarella. If you don't have the balls and have fresh mozzarella that you can chop would be best.
Nutrition
Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 663IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 1mg